Most people think of spraying saliva when they think of spitting. But saliva is a liquid, and it does not weigh very much. In order to fire the projectile further and have it do more, camels mix whatever is in their stomach with saliva. This is not something camel’s do often, and it is usually done only when camels are agitated. According to the San Diego Zoo site, camel spit is more like vomit than actual spit. Camels use it against predators to warn them off. Wolves are the main predators that camels must protect themselves from. It is possible to tell when a camel is about to spit by paying attention to its cheeks. Camel cheeks bulge and fill up right before they spit. The idea behind this behavior is to try to keep other animals or people away from them in order to avoid the need to fight them at all in the first place. Other animals engage in similar behavior. For example, cats hiss to try to keep animals away.

The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. Their natural predators include leopards, lions and humans. Camels were domesticated more than 5,000 years ago and no longer exist in the wild.

A camel, like a cow or llama, has one stomach with four separate chambers that are used in different stages of the camel's digestive process. Mammals that utilize four-compartment stomachs to break down their food are called ruminants.

When temperatures rise above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, camels can survive for about five days without drinking water. During the winter, camels can survive six or seven months without drinking water. During that time, they may obtain moisture from plants they consume.